THEORETICAL BASES OF
NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION – PART II
ASSIGNMENT
TOPIC:
“KERALA CURRICULUM
FRAMEWORK 2007”
Submitted by,
RAJI V.R.
B.Ed. Natural science
Nalanchira
Submitted to: Mrs. Shiney
Jacob
Submitted Date: 21/08/2014
INTRODUCTION
Kerala views education as a crucial
path for shaping its future. To face the challenges of the present day world,
we have to envision a progressive and comprehensive education system. However a
close look at society indicates the existence of a section of people who have
an intense desire to gain social and financial supremacy. Another group is
striving hard to free itself from the clutches of poverty and procure the basic
necessities of life.
The
Government of Kerala, after the formation of the state, set the direction for
the educational system by declaring that the state would provide for:
§ Compulsory primary education for all.
§ Educational expenditure of all
children.
§ Free text books and lunch for the
needy.
The policies followed by the successive
governments in Kerala made formal education more accessible to its common folk.
Some of the major initiatives taken include:
§ Providing text books at low prices.
§ Withdrawing tuition fee
§ Allowing concessional rate for student’s
conveyance.
§ Providing free lunch in schools.
§ Ensuring at least one high school in
every Panchayath.
§ Adopting new approach for promotions
to higher classes.
§ Expanding vocational and technical
education.
§ Taking steps for ensuring higher
secondary education for all.
§ Bringing higher secondary within the
fold of school education
§ Envisioning IT as a part of the
curriculum.
§ Launching of EDUSAT and VICTERS
channels.
§ Strengthening the school library
system.
Quality education
National
Policy on Education- 1986 laid stress on universal enrolment and retention
along with quality education. The following initiatives of central and state
governments mark their commitment to provide quality education.
§ Launching Operation Blackboard scheme
§ Launching Special Orientation for
Primary Teachers
§ Establishing State Council of
Educational and training.
§ Setting up District Institutes of
Educational and Training.
§ Establishing Colleges of Teacher
education and Institute
of Advanced Studies
The
curriculum reform was based on the vision of education as a social process. The
methodology outlined by the curriculum stresses on activity based process
oriented learning. It also stresses on enquiry based learning and liberal
democratic learner- friendly approach that leads to the overall development of
the learner.
The aims of education in
our society can be stated as:
§
Social justice
The education system that is envisaged
should be capable of promoting a social order based on equality and justice.
§
Awareness on environment
We need to develop an attitude in our
learners to see meaning in all developmental activities in tune with the
environment.
§
Citizenship
There is a need for empowering each
child to grow up and develop as a responsible citizen of the society.
§
Nationalism
Creating a generation upholding
nationalism rooted in a Universal vision.
§
Awareness of one’s rights
Education needs to actualize the
rights ensured in our constitution and also the rights enumerated in UN
conventions on children’s rights, women’s rights.
§
Awareness of Science and Technology
All learners should get opportunity
to acquire current developments in the fields of science and technology and
apply the same in real life situations.
§
Scientific temper
There is a need to differentiate between
science and pseudo science. Education should play a key role in freeing the
society from superstitions and prejudices and should propagate the need for a
scientific outlook the need for a scientific outlook in life.
§
Cultural identity
Regional and traditional forms of
knowledge can be utilized for the development of the society.
§
Vocational skills
Education should focus on the
development of a positive attitude to labour and inculcate in all children the
ability to work.
§
Democratic values
Education should help the learner in
imbibing democratic values.
§
Resistance
Strength to resist all sorts of
invasions and desirable tendencies triggered by globalization.
§
Construction of knowledge
The process of education must develop
in learners, the ability to construct knowledge through interaction and
sharing.
§
Critical education
The education should have the space
for learners to engage in critical dialogue. The educational system should
prepare the learners to shift from the position of passive listeners to active
constructors of knowledge.
Socially and culturally marginalized
General education must accommodate
all children who are socially and culturally deprived.
Current
issues
§ Non availability of schools within
easy reach for tribal children.
§ Poverty remains a roadblock in
educating such children.
§ Non availability of educational
concessions on time.
§ Lack of a conductive home
environment.
§ Inadequate facilities in
institutions.
§ Lack of learning materials that suit
the different languages of tribal groups.
§ Discriminations that prevail among
them.
§ Superstitious practices that prevail
among them.
§ Inferiority feeling arising out of
the marginalized status.
§ Children being left alone at home as
parents cannot adjust their working hours according to the school time.
§ Lack of awareness among parents
regarding the emotional support to be accorded to children.
All these
create hurdles in the educational progress of the marginalized.
Learning
Science
While
handling over the wealth of science to the next generation, it is important
that the following ideas are considered.
§ The process oriented method of
learning helps the learner construct new forms of knowledge.
§ Concepts and ideas in science that
the learner constructs should have linkage with real life situations.
§ Considering the nature of content,
science is organized in terms physics, chemistry and biology.
§ The prevailing dichotomy of theory
and practices needs to be replaced by creating opportunity to form theory based
on practical experience.
§ The study of science in a competitive
society should enable the learner to realize his/her identity.
§ Science education should aim at
equipping the learner against the misuse of science.
Awareness of science
It
accounts for:
§ The ability to observe things in a
minute and perfect manner without prejudice.
§ The skill to measure and document a
piece of sample information.
§ The ability to analyze and interpret
data.
§ The skill to arrive at certain
conclusions according to the data collected.
§ Approval of the right to question and
to be questioned.
§ Insistence on decision making
according to the evidence gathered.
§ The readiness to reexamine the
conclusions.
§ The ability to identify what is
unscientific.
§ Broadmindedness.
§ A respect for the right of others to
take a different stance.
§ The commitment towards logical
reasoning and factual enquiry.
Major
criticisms
§ There is a notion that the aim of
science education is to transmit knowledge that has already been gathered.
§ The learning process is neither
process oriented nor learner centered thus the learners do not have the
opportunity to engage in learning activities and construct knowledge.
§ There is a tendency to promote rote
learning of concepts in science to excel in examination.
§ The innate curiosity and scientific
temperament of the learner are yet to find space.
§ Examination centric text books and
learning process.
§ Incongruence between the content and
the level of the learner.
§ Scientific temperament and literacy are not
addressed adequately.
§ Learning of science fails to become
interesting and challenging to the learner.
§ Construction of knowledge has not
been duly recognized.
§ Science education has yet to become
life related.
§ Mechanisms for empowering learners in
the pedagogic practices are yet to be strengthened.
§ The assessment of effectiveness of
teaching science is completely neglected.
IT Assisted Education
The
present status of IT education in high schools in Kerala helps only to develop
certain fundamental IT skills. The learning process of different subjects can
make use of IT to make learning effective and meaningful. IT can also help in
teacher empowerment.
Social
Issues
§ Lack of scientific land water
management.
§ Issues related to agriculture
§ Lack of cohesive universal vision.
§ Lack of human resource development.
§ Lack of cultural consciousness
§ Lack of eco friendly
industrialization & urbanization.
§ The issues of the marginalized.
§ Issues related to health and public
health.
CONCLUSION
Based
on the National Curriculum Framework 2005, efforts to revise the Kerala School Curriculum
began in August, 2006. The first phase of the revision process is culminated by
the publication of the Kerala Curriculum Framework 2007. The process of curriculum framing is
envisioned in a democratic manner. Large scale action programmes that are related
to the development of Kerala have been designed.
Kerala
could display the active working model of a learning process that has its
foundation in the principles of Constructivism and a learner-centered,
activity-based and process-oriented pedagogy. The curriculum that has been
designed, along with the learning materials prepared, has much to claim on the
grounds of quality.
REFERENCE
§ Chauhan S.S. (1985); Innovation in
Teaching and Learning Process; Vikas Publishing house; New Delhi
§ Davar Monika (2012); Teaching of
Science: India
§ Karla R. M. & Gupta Vandana (2012):
Teaching of Science- A modern approach: India, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
§ Radha Mohan (2007); Innovative
Science Teaching; New Delhi
§ Dr. Renuka Sonny L.R. (2013);
Teaching of Natural Science; Paridhi publications; Thiruvananthapuram.
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